"This notebook—could you show it to me?"
[No.]
Should Asha show it to her?
Of course not.
Experience told her that people in this world had human faces but strange brains.
In a world where all the information about her could be easily misunderstood, why in the world would she gladly let someone who would obviously cause trouble for her know about her stuff?
In her mind, those drawings were simple sketches. Did it have some distorted, strangely drawn lions? Yes. But what child had never drawn strange things?
No matter how weird her drawings were, it wasn't justified to use them to question her mental health. Even she had a little pride and common sense.
Seeing the clear "No" written in the notebook, the psychologist couldn't stop laughing as if she had seen something funny.
"I'm sorry, it's just that your drawings were so beautiful." she said, wiping her crocodile tears.
About what she said, Asha couldn't hear even if she wanted to, and she wasn't interested.
At their first meeting, the woman had threatened her privacy and nearly caused a scene.
The woman in front of her had already been placed at the top of her "Troublesome People" list—right behind the crazy nurse Maria.
Seeing the situation unfold in this unconventional direction, Priyanka haplessly apologized.
"I'm sorry, doctor. As I said, my daughter is a little shy."
"Don't worry about that, Mrs. Priyanka. I was a bit impulsive just now." the woman also apologized and smiled widely.
Maybe it was prejudice, but Asha didn't feel any honesty in that smile.
While the muscles on her face moved perfectly, the rest of her body didn't show any emotion at all. She was like a blank sheet, showing only the emotions she wanted on her face.
Most people wouldn't notice it, but Asha, who had sharpened her senses in a realm beyond humans, could easily read her.
'Is she some kind of psychopath? Creepy.'
She was being honest about that. The way her eyes narrowed, analyzing her while laughing, showed a coldness that even she found unsettling.
A dangerous woman.
"Sorry, little Asha. I didn't mean to scare you. Do you like candies?"
She offered her a candy with a warm smile.
Asha admitted, the woman was beautiful.
Her eyes was blue like the sea, and her pale blonde hair gave her an innocent look. But it was so good-looking that it made Asha doubt her intentions even more.
[No.]
"Don't you like gum? How about a lollipop then?"
[Not interested.]
"What a shame, not even chocolate?"
'How many sweets does this woman have stocked?' Asha was honestly impressed.
She had been refused literally three times, yet still kept a shameless smile on her face.
Professionals were really on another level.
Asha reluctantly accepted the candy. Not because she wanted to—she couldn't even taste it anyway. She simply wanted to finish the consultation as fast as possible.
Seeing that Asha had finally accepted, the woman smiled even wider.
"If you want more, I can give you some anytime."
Asha simply ignored her words and focused on the situation at hand.
'I was careless.'
She was so focused on her thoughts that she'd lost track of time. Thanks to that, she was caught off guard and had to improvise.
Looking at how the woman and Priyanka already knew each other's names, they must have at least introduced themselves.
The amount of time she had spent drawing was unknown—she could only hope they hadn't talked about anything strange.
Asha looked at the woman and hid her notebook from her gaze. She didn't know how much of her drawings the woman had seen, but it wouldn't be good to show any more.
Besides drawings, her notebook was filled with personal notes and previous conversations. She had made a simple cryptography for important topics, but besides that, it was like a personal diary.
From now on, she needed to measure every word carefully.
The hospital had already diagnosed her as a child suffering from trauma. While troublesome, it was thanks to this that she was adopted and gained Priyanka's sympathy.
Whether that was her intention or not, she had no choice but to assume this identity.
Still, it wouldn't do any good to make things worse than they already were. It was best to show that she did have some issues—but not anything too drastic or problematic.
She had already made the worst first impression possible because the woman had unintentionally triggered her PTSD.
Asha looked at the woman with suspicion, while her expression remained blank as always.
She must be more careful from now on.
"I'm Dr. Bennett, but you can call me Angela~"
The movement of her lips was slow and deliberate, as if she were articulating well so Asha could understand.
Before, Asha had shown aggressive behavior, but considering she had a perfect poker face, maybe she could still play dumb in front of the woman.
The first rule was one she always followed. Don't talk too much—the more you talk, the more you lose and make mistakes.
[Understood.]
So a simple affirmation or denial would be enough.
"Would you mind talking alone with me?"
It seemed she didn't want Priyanka involved in the consultation.
[Ok.]
Priyanka looked at her a little worried after her quick answer.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Priyanka. She's in good hands."
The doctor reassured her.
"I'll be right outside." Priyanka said, looking at Asha with reluctance.
When she left, only Asha and the doctor remained.
"Now it's just the two of us~"
Angela said, extending her arms toward Asha's head as if to stroke her.
It seemed the woman was trying to close the distance by impersonating an approachable, maternal figure.
Asha kept her eyes on her, simply observing her behavior without moving.
Surprisingly, the woman stopped her hand before reaching Asha's head and calmly retracted it.
'What was that?'
Though her behavior was strange, the woman kept the conversation going as if nothing had happened.
"So, little Asha. Can you answer some questions for me?"
[Yes.]
"You don't need to feel pressured. It's nothing difficult."
[Yes...]
"Are you feeling well? Would you like another chocolate?"
The woman kept reassuring her, glancing at her expression discreetly and offering candies. At this point, Asha deeply suspected the origin of these sweets.
She really wasn't into them, so why did the woman insist so much?
[No, it's fine.]
"Eh~? You really don't want any?"
Seeing how the woman kept pushing candies on her, Asha decided to accept again, otherwise, the conversation might loop endlessly.
[Which question?]
For the first time, Asha proactively followed the procedure. If there was something she hated, it was small talk.
Angela looked at her documents and punctuated some questions.
"Let me see... What do you normally do? I'm dying of curiosity."
[Drawing.]
"Yes, you draw really well. Is there something else you like to do?"
[Watch TV.]
"TV? What a surprise. What do you usually watch?"
[Cartoons.]
"I see, you must really like cartoons."
[Yes.]
For anyone watching the conversation, it would seem that with every question, Asha stabbed the speaker with a dagger. Her words were raw and brief.
It was impressive that Angela managed to keep the conversation going. If Asha had to interview someone like herself, she wouldn't be this patient.
"What is your favorite food?"
[Apple—]
The moment Asha wrote the word "apple," her hand froze. It was true that apples were her favorite, but it was also true that she had died choking on one.
Wasn't it because of an apple that she was in this damn situation in the first place?
She scratched out the word and replaced it with the first fruit she could think of.
[Orange.]
"Orange, hmm? Why not apples?"
[I prefer orange.]
"I see. Next time, I'll bring some."
'I hope there is no next time, doctor.'
Was it because this was a cartoon world? Every word from this woman's mouth felt so frivolous and trivial.
She seemed like a calculating person by the way she managed her expressions. Was it all an act? Was she testing her patience?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she felt. So she just answered honestly.
Each time, Asha replied with short answers: "Yes," "No," or "I don't know." Perhaps because of that, the woman changed the topic.
"By the way, I have an orange-flavored candy."
Again, she offered another candy...
She tried to decline it, but the doctor made an expression like an abandoned dog.
"Won't you try it once?"
Honestly, Asha was a bit scared.
How can someone so perfectly reproduce such expressions without feeling them? Even Asha couldn't do that.
She didn't want to eat it, but having already refused twice, it would be strange to refuse again.
[...Ok.]
Asha ate the candy and swallowed it without care.
"Is it sweet?"
[Yes.]
"Thank goodness. To be honest, that one was lemon-flavored. I'm glad you like lemons too."
[...]
"Most children spit them out without hesitation. You were the first to eat it so boldly~ You're so cool."
The moment she heard that, Asha was sure: the woman was playing with her.
Was she angry because of the short, boring answers?
How pitiful for an adult to give a child a lemon candy and then admit it.
As she thought, this woman was rotten to the core.
Even her patience was wearing thin.
[Doctor.]
"Yes~?"
[Is it over?]
"Eh~? I still want to talk with you. You're so pretty."
[I'm tired.]
"Already?"
Angela smiled again, as if she found Asha's expression funny. Asha, seeing the clear provocation, didn't react.
She knew the woman was trying to provoke her, but didn't know why.
But if she was doing it so openly, her goal must be predictable. She wanted to see how Asha would react.
So Asha decided to remain silent.
The woman kept asking trivial questions, but Asha didn't respond or even glance her way.
"Okay, this is the last one! I promise."
She put her hands together like she was begging for a miracle.
Only then did Asha respond.
[What?]
"Are you happy with your current family?"
Surprisingly, it was a common question.
[Yes, I like it.]
"Is that so?" she asked with a wide smile. "It must be hard to act like a child with amnesia."
[...]
'D-Did she know?'
I looked at the woman expressionless, but I was turbulent inside. Her expression remained a big smile.
"You noticed I was playing with you, didn't you?" she said, twirling her pen while looking at her.
Honestly, she didn't know how much she had understood through their trivial conversation, but Asha was definitely intimidated.
[What do you mean?]
"Don't misunderstand, Miss Asha. There wasn't anything wrong with your answers. In fact, they were perfect." she pointed out, almost as if she were reading my soul.
"The only problem is that they were so perfect, it's suspicious."
[...]
"You're not suffering from memory loss, are you?"
[...]
"And the fact that you understood our conversation means you're no ordinary child either."
Angela looked at her, her smile gone, replaced by a cold expression.
"You are..."
At this point, Asha's body was there, but her soul had long since fled.
She didn't know how much the woman had figured out, but she was starting to understand Angela just as much as Angela was beginning to understand her.
"A gifted child too, right?"
[...?]
Had she read her lips wrong?
"You don't need to hide it. There's no reason to play games between us."
Asha had no idea how the woman came to that conclusion through a series of yes-or-no questions.
In her past life, she barely attended school because she had to work. Her gem brain was exceptional, but she herself wasn't that intelligent.
She couldn't even solve simple math problems, yet she could manipulate gem structures well.
But whatever this woman thought, as long as she nodded and followed her ridiculous conclusions, she could get out of it.
That's what her instincts told her after going through so many misunderstandings.
[I don't know what you mean.]
"As I said, you don't need to hide it from me." Angela replied, as if she understood all the secrets of the world. "For a smart child like you to end up in such circumstances, I can't imagine how much you've been through."
[Do you think so?]
"I don't know why you're hiding it from your family. They seem quite supportive."
'Wait, was that why she sent Priyanka away? Because of this stupid misunderstanding?'
"But I bet you have your reasons. I'll keep your secret."
[Thank you...]
Asha didn't know what she felt grateful for, but decided to thank her anyway.
"At this point, there's no reason to continue this procedure. You can go meet your mother."
She stood from her seat and came toward her.
"Let me help you with that." She grabbed the wheelchair and opened the door. Right there, Priyanka was waiting with a worried expression.
"Did everything go well, Doctor Bennett?"
"Yes, Asha was a very well-behaved child. Mrs. Priyanka really knows how to raise children well."
A series of flattery came from the woman's mouth. At this point, Asha could barely process what had just happened. She felt as if she had just gone through a trial—but also as if she had made a terrible mistake.
'Now that I think about it, she was writing notes while we talked.'
Asha had overlooked that. Maybe by analyzing those notes, she could understand her situation better.
With that in mind, she directed her attention toward the doctor's desk. There, several notes were written—so many that the once-white sheet had turned black.
She couldn't understand all the content; some parts were practically illegible. Yet some key points stood out clearly.
*
Analysis of the patient Asha Maheswaran
[The patient uses drawing as a source of stress relief.]
[The patient shows resistance to strangers.]
[No interest in candies. No interest in people. Short answers; lack of taste?]
[Strong reasoning ability, thoughtful responses, and high technical skills.]
[Absence of involuntary habits.]
[Avoidance of eye contact. Avoidance of physical contact.]
[Traces of autism and extreme focus; suspected giftedness; unconscious of surroundings.]
[Clear signs of long-term trauma.]
[Condition: Severe. Requires continuous psychological care.]
*
'What is this...?'
After all, everything was a mess from the start.
*
Author note.
I told you. I can disappear, but I always come back. I bet you thought I was dead ( *︾▽︾). More two chapters today. We will finish this volume and start the next one.
It took me a while to write, but the result was satisfying. The next chapter is the last and is from Angela's point of view. I hope you enjoy it.